Mweetwa Warns Zambian Football Over Transitional League Delay
Former Zambia striker Nchimunya Mweetwa has warned that the latest postponement of the MTN Super League Transitional League could have wider consequences for domestic football, while urging coaches to carefully manage their players during the extended wait.
The Transitional League, which was initially expected to begin in September, is now scheduled to kick off on October 3, with teams divided into Stream A and Stream B.
Mweetwa believes the delay is particularly frustrating for clubs that had already planned their pre-season programmes around the original calendar.
“Pushing the league opener for the Transitional League, it’s a big blow on the clubs because they’re already prepared,” Mweetwa said.
Coaches Face Fitness Challenge
The former striker explained that football preparation is based on carefully structured training cycles, commonly known as periodisation, with players gradually prepared to reach peak condition when competitive matches begin.
“Football is in cycles. So, there’s what we call periodisation. When you’re preparing for the league, you draw up a plan, a cycle of six weeks. And then, in those six weeks, you prepare the team. After six weeks, the team will be ready to compete,” he explained.
However, with the league now delayed, Mweetwa says coaches face the difficult task of adjusting programmes after players have already completed intensive conditioning.
“After six weeks, you find the league is not starting. So, it’s very difficult for the coaches now to readjust when they’ve already loaded the players,” he said.
He believes technical benches will need to carefully balance training intensity and recovery to avoid players suffering from physical or mental fatigue before the season even begins.
Mweetwa Questions Transitional League
Mweetwa also remains critical of the Transitional League concept itself, arguing that previous disruptions to the domestic football calendar had already caused significant problems.
“I’m not a fan of the Transitional League because the previous Transitional League changed the calendar. Made us lose eight years of our football,” he said.
The former Buildcon coach fears the latest restructuring could similarly affect the development of Zambian football over the coming years.
“This one, from the scientific point of view, we might lose maybe four or five years. So, we need to brace ourselves for what is to come,” Mweetwa warned.
Despite his concerns, Mweetwa believes clubs and coaches must now adapt to the circumstances and make the most of the additional preparation period.
With the new October 3 start date confirmed, technical teams will face the challenge of keeping their squads competitive, motivated and physically ready until the Transitional League finally gets underway.
